Dollar doldrums and silver surfing
Quietly and gently and perhaps almost unnoticed, the US Dollar had been seeing a drift downhill before strengthening again over last week. Against Sterling it has now been the lowest since September 2021, having fallen by over 26% since the Pound’s trough in July 2022.
We are not so unhappy as we have currency in...
Some growth but inflation bites
It’s been good to see some economic growth with an unexpected 0.3% figure in November. Services and production rose and construction fell. The results at least counter some of the previous slippage but won’t be giving a great annualised figure regardless – but all helping.
Likewise, whilst we read a colossal 700,000 graduates are unemployed,...
Happy New Year for farmers
A Happy New Year. I hope that your celebrations of all Christmas really means was good and joyful and that you have seen-in the New Year with relish! Already the days are opening-out and spring, albeit very cold, is daring to peek through the wintry gloom.
What a nice Christmas present for ‘farmers’ with the...
Welcome to our new clients
Budget ‘black hole’ is filling with rumour if nothing else…
This Wednesday, (November 26) the Chancellor will unveil her much-anticipated Autumn Budget and reveal her latest plans for filling the alleged ‘£20 billion black hole’ in the public finances. Or is it £30bn?
So what will be in Rachel Reeve’s Budget and how might it affect you? That is certainly the £20billion question because, as...
What the Chancellor should be saying in a pre-Budget speech…
We try not to do politics in these columns but following headlines suggesting Chancellor Rachel Reeves may well become the first to increase Income Tax in 50 years in fact (breaking manifesto pledges in the process), we had a little go at envisaging her speech before the November 26 Budget.
(The following is tongue in...
A message from the Chancellor…
Good afternoon. I have just returned from a relaxing and much-needed break which took us to bustling Hungary, Slovakia and Austria. Yes, I took the computer though the inbox defied my occasional review so apologies if you are still awaiting my reply!
I returned to an unexpected speech from our Chancellor. I should like to...
Uncertainty and wobbles on global stage
Some really positive news from the Middle East at last. Whatever you think of him, well done President Trump for being the catalyst – time to move onto Russia in earnest now. Let us hope that this awful conflict will also be over very soon now.
Sadly, economically at home, unemployment rises, wage growth slows,...
